Zach_M1078A1
Member
- 48
- 42
- 18
- Location
- Utah
Has anyone figured out the operating cost of an m1078 per mile? Rough ballpark
-
Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
M1078a1 total operating cost per mile?
- Thread starter Zach_M1078A1
- Start date
ramdough
Well-known member
- 1,554
- 1,729
- 113
- Location
- Austin, Texas
I feel ya…and I have a 6x6…I don’t want to know…..
…of course there are those Eco-Hubs out there. I’ve seen someone say they almost doubled there mileage with those hubs.
Gotta get some soon.
RRaulston
Well-known member
- 227
- 550
- 93
- Location
- Sahuarita, Arizona
I spent a few minutes on this. With upkeep, fuel, insurance and all, I think my MTV is in the $2.50 a mile range.... This, of course, is only a guess..
- 7,716
- 19,766
- 113
- Location
- Charlotte NC
.
I am thinking there has to be some measure in there for the condition of the vehicle. If your truck for example was straight off the auction block maintenance might be a lot higher initially. Replacing the rubber fuel lines, Replacing the cab bushings, Replacing aging or worn seats, and a lot more.
That $2.50 a mile is a pretty darn good number.
.
Whats the old saying (if you have to ask ) ! Remember when you have something green/tan out back you dont have all the bills that come with marriage councilors / psychiatrist / girlfriend on the side / vacations/trips / mid life crisis / premium cable / trips to the liquor store / nudybars / or any other distractions cause these things will take up all your spare time if you drink the green kool-aid and check in daily on the forum here to let us all know about what quit working today on your truck you can/must put all that saved money back into parts and paint and tires and all things rubber !
RRaulston
Well-known member
- 227
- 550
- 93
- Location
- Sahuarita, Arizona
That $2.50 doesn't include the 5k initial sorting I did when I bought it. It didn't seem fair to include it. Now that I'm fully turnkey and drive, with standard maintenance and 7 90% tires, I think it's a fair number. Give me a year of ownership and I might have to adjust that a bit... Time will tell..
Zach_M1078A1
Member
- 48
- 42
- 18
- Location
- Utah
hank you! It’s a low mileage 2003. I’m going through all of the maintenance now I was just wondering ongoing. I am about 5k at this point and and im almost done. Maybee. I hope close. I bough 20 tires also with good tread.
- 2,034
- 5,224
- 113
- Location
- Portland, OR
Initial costs after purchase or ongoing costs once everything is sorted out?
Initial costs can be absolutely enormous. Often eclipsing the cost of the truck itself (for example if you want BRAND NEW tires @ $10,000 - $14,000 from Goodyear depending on LMTV/MTV).
It really depends on which vintage of truck you get, what condition it is in, how often you drive it, and what maintenance schedule you accept. The military maintenance schedule for annual services is pretty intense in terms of parts and labor (they don't inspect and replace as needed, they just replace). The hub service for example is laborious, the seals not particularly cheap, and the fluid capacities are HUGE.
In terms of your time researching and finding parts, surplus (scalper) markups, and all the little details - it can be alarmingly expensive.
That said - these trucks cost A LOT to the government. My truck was $230k in 2008. That's $322k in 2023 adjusted for inflation. Buying it for $43k in 2019 (with 2750 miles on it) and being able to drive it home 2800 miles with virtually no problems was a bargain IMO. And now with maintenance and upgrades I have added to the truck it would easily fetch double what I paid for it. IMO it's worth every penny. My truck - being one of the last manufactured intact trucks that will be sold to the public - is only going to appreciate in value so I really don't see it as a cost - it's closer to an investment. Definitely not the best investment possible but it's absolutely one of the most fun.
Initial costs can be absolutely enormous. Often eclipsing the cost of the truck itself (for example if you want BRAND NEW tires @ $10,000 - $14,000 from Goodyear depending on LMTV/MTV).
It really depends on which vintage of truck you get, what condition it is in, how often you drive it, and what maintenance schedule you accept. The military maintenance schedule for annual services is pretty intense in terms of parts and labor (they don't inspect and replace as needed, they just replace). The hub service for example is laborious, the seals not particularly cheap, and the fluid capacities are HUGE.
In terms of your time researching and finding parts, surplus (scalper) markups, and all the little details - it can be alarmingly expensive.
That said - these trucks cost A LOT to the government. My truck was $230k in 2008. That's $322k in 2023 adjusted for inflation. Buying it for $43k in 2019 (with 2750 miles on it) and being able to drive it home 2800 miles with virtually no problems was a bargain IMO. And now with maintenance and upgrades I have added to the truck it would easily fetch double what I paid for it. IMO it's worth every penny. My truck - being one of the last manufactured intact trucks that will be sold to the public - is only going to appreciate in value so I really don't see it as a cost - it's closer to an investment. Definitely not the best investment possible but it's absolutely one of the most fun.
- 4,300
- 3,132
- 113
- Location
- Fort Worth, Texas
Doesn't matter. After you drive a HET to and from a parade everything is relatively good. 
I dont get out much so u will have to explain how you can come up with a per mile answer ? Say you have at todays point 20k total money spent as of this moment how do you know how many miles you will drive the truck till you get rid of it then you have 2 finite numbers to calculate so say you drove it 1000 miles so 20 dollars a mile while you owned it !
- 7,716
- 19,766
- 113
- Location
- Charlotte NC
.
I think the OP question was cost per mile.
There was no official list of what is included.
It may have been a mistake for me to mention "getting it up to spec" maintenance, but it seemed relevant to me.
Wouldnt all cost incured have to be divided by miles driven ? At the end to reflect your total cost if not your just saying it cost me a hundred dollars in fuel today to take a little trip so 7mpg into 100 bucks/28 gal at 3.50 a gal 28x5 280 so 50 cents a mile just in fuel rough estimate with no other cost factored in so if your entire truck was given to you and free maintance and everything free your at .50 cents
Last edited:
Zach_M1078A1
Member
- 48
- 42
- 18
- Location
- Utah
What I’m looking for is after purchase and after getting everything up to snuff for the most part, so basically ongoing maintenance Insurance registration fuel fluids hoses filters Brake shoes seals and in my situation not tires because I have so many extras I will eventually need some but I will probably just buy a bunch more at auction In Doyle. I have family that never escaped from California so unfortunately I have to drive there occasionally
RRaulston
Well-known member
- 227
- 550
- 93
- Location
- Sahuarita, Arizona
Yes. If that's how you chose to do it. My "Kentucky Windage" way of calculating it was after the 5k initial sorting. I chose to look at it that way so when I plan a future trip, I can guestimate costs. Previous money spent wouldn't add to future trip costs. That money is already gone. I just want to know what money is "gonna" be gone coming up for planning purposes. My fuel alone calculates at .89 a mile. $4.45/5mpg (3116 MTV). Is $2.50 accurate? No. it's impossible to calculate every spec of rubber used, metal worn from gears and on and on. It's just a guess... But, I do think at $2.50, i'm staying on the safe side as far as planning is concerned... If you were to tell me I was closer to $2.00 even, I couldn't argue it...
Zach_M1078A1
Member
- 48
- 42
- 18
- Location
- Utah
The whole point of this is if I use this for work How much of my billing on top of profit paying me do I have to charge to maintain the operation of the vehicle? Which I guess long term could bring what is the lifespan of the drive train someone Into long-term figures. However, I could just keep an eye out for engine and transmission on guv planet and buy ahead of time. Also, what is the lifespan of the planetary hubs and pumpkins if proper maintenance is maintains are those pretty much in definite?
Zach_M1078A1
Member
- 48
- 42
- 18
- Location
- Utah
Indefinite sorry I use voice rec
- 1,813
- 1,518
- 113
- Location
- Orlando, FL
A cost per MILE figure probably isn't really accurate, especially with the great differences in how much they are driven. I've driven mine 2000 miles in one week, and 200 miles in a different year.
If you aren't making repairs, just "regular maintenance" isn't bad. 5-7MPG (don't believe any of the "12MPG" hype) means that these days you're paying $0.50-$0.70/mile in diesel. Then your oil and filter changes are a few hundred bucks (~7 gallons of oil, several different filters, etc.), at appropriate intervals.
The real cost is in repairs. Regardless of how much you bought it for, you can't think of it as a "$10k-$30k truck"... it's a $150,000 truck, and the parts for it are proportionally priced. Add to that the fact that it's 20-25 years old, which means anything plastic or rubber is failing, and it becomes a never-ending cycle of replacing $500 stuff. There is always a new leak, a bad seal, a custom hose to have made, a dead starter solenoid, etc.
I've had mine for like 8 years now, and try to keep it in good shape, which includes buying replacements for damaged/beat-up parts when I see them available or at a good price, proactively repairing things that are suspect (e.g. flush power steering system, replace fuel lines that are cracked but not leaking yet, etc.), etc. I also had to replace an engine (BALANCE YOUR DRIVESHAFTS NOW!), and buy some "cool" accessories like the Light Material Handling Crane (LMHC) and rear step bumper. I've probably put about $30k-35k into it, AFTER purchase price, which would be $3500-5000/yr, which doesn't include fuel, insurance, etc.
- 2,034
- 5,224
- 113
- Location
- Portland, OR
12 might be a stretch but those of us doing the direct drive hubs are getting over 10-11 at freeway speeds.
Last edited: